Hello!

So I'm in a bit of a unique situation that is allowing for some spontaneous traveling. The basics: I have about 4-6 weeks to travel solo, about $5,000 outside of airfare to and from the U.S, and a loose list of things I want to do. I can come back pretty much whenever I want in August, so I'm thinking I'll just buy my return ticket home when I'm ready to come home.

I have a one-way flight out of JFK into Tel Aviv on July 13th. Tel Aviv is like home to me, so I will be staying with friends there for about a week. After that, I'm pretty flexible. I want to be sure to plan ahead as much as necessary so that I don't waste a ton of money, but I'm also relying on meeting other fun backpackers to bounce around with.

I would really like to go to Istanbul and Olympus for a few days, so I'm thinking I'll head there after Israel. BUT the week that I'm there is going to be a great time to meet other travelers and make some concrete plans, so that is subject to change.

Places that are non-negotiable are Berlin, Prague, and Ibiza. I would also like to go to Dubrovnik (Croatia in general), Sarajevo, Budapest, Munich, and Amsterdam. Again though, I'm going to be alone so I need to just go with the flow depending on my social situation. I'm very independent, but I am not going to be hitting up clubs or hiking up mountains by myself.

I want to do lots of dancing and partying (because I'm 23 and need it in my life right now) but I also want to see as much nature as possible and have adventures. Hiking, camping, rafting, things like that would be great (and that is why I want to go to Olympus).

Basically, I'm just looking for advice as to how to do this right. Is it okay to just wait until I'm in Israel to set the game plan? I'm familiar with flights, but know nothing about trains so I don't know if it would be a bad idea to make purchases last minute or what.

I work for a travel company so I talk about travel all day long, but backpacking spontaneously is a whole different animal. Please help!

Welcome to Fodors. You will get more replies if you post this on the Europe board.

Waiting until you are ready to return will guarantee a very expensive flight. I was just looking at flights from Spain to the US at the end of October and was stunned by the prices. (I wound up using FF miles.)

For info on trains use bahn.de and seat61.com (again, booking ahead will save a lot of money), http://www.directferries.co.uk/ for ferries and skyscanner.net for budget flights.

Really? When I look at flights from Barcelona or Amsterdam to JFK for next week, the prices aren't bad. It is worth an extra $100 to me if it means being able to leave whenever I feel like. Thank you for the advice!

Really? I'm not flying to JFK, but if I were, non-stop on July 1st starts at $1,183 according to skyscanner, and most of the one-stops take a ridiculously long time.

Istanbul, Berlin, Prague, Ibiza, Croatia, Sarajevo, Budapest, Munich, Amsterdam.

I have no experience as a backpacker but from a simple trip planning standpoint... I see 9 major stops in your 4-6 weeks time, so a very ambitious itinerary. Allowing for travel time between each one, you'd have ~3-4 days in each place.

If the places you mention are non negotiable then stick to just those. 3-4 days in each place is probably enough. Although most people would spend at least a week partying in Ibiza!

Having said that, you are probably seeking the advice you want in the wrong place. The average age on these forums is probably more double your own, so whilst you may get some great and very sensible suggestions, it won't be from your peers and probably won't be that relevant to your style of travel . Lonely Planet Thorntree is probably a better bet.

FWIW I agree with Thursdaysd re airfares. I have rarely found leaving it to the last minute to a good idea. But if you are in the travel business you presumably know what you are doing.

"Backpacking spontaneously is a whole different animal" yes it is! My wife and I have been more or less permanent travellers for the last 7-8 years and have met countless backpackers. Virtually all, despite what they may say, do not travel spontaneously. If you do that you will end up missing what you really should be seeing. At least work out a basic route but work in some time to be "spontaneous". The more research and planning you do the better. If you choose to ignore that plan on the road, fair enough.

Trust me on this, I have tried the "make it up as you go along" approach on trips much longer than yours and I ended up wasting a lot of time.

@Thursdaysd, if you are only looking at July 1st, I can see why that is the price you're seeing. I just now found a flight for $518 on July 2nd with a nice 12 hour layover in my favorite city. Kayak is my favorite for looking at flex dates

https://www.kayak.com/flights/BCN-JF...07-02-flexible


@crellston thank you for the advice! I think you're right that I probably will spend closer to a week in Ibiza. I'm going to come up with three different itinerary options beforehand and then I will choose which one as I go

As I posted on a different thread, on FF miles, flexibility is key. That's why I'm flying home from Barcelona instead of Madrid. But I would pay at least $100 NOT to have a 12 hour layover in Kansas City. Especially if I was actually flying from Europe to New York.

Kansas City? I'm not sure what exactly that has to do with when I purchase my flight

Sorry, misread kayak as Kansas City. But I wouldn't want a 12 hour layover period.